Chapter 40: Yin Malice

Cai Kun’s voice trembled.

Le Dong followed his gaze, and sure enough, at the center of the corpse’s chest, something was writhing violently beneath the skin, bulging as if it were about to burst out at any moment.

"Hurry up and accept your punishment..."

The specter of Old Master Hu seemed to notice this as well. It let out another shrill shriek, its voice filled with agony and an intense, insatiable craving, and its attacks grew increasingly frenzied. The corpse, driven entirely by the insect’s instincts, saw this powerful specter as a massive threat to its control of this "nest" and sought only to tear its opponent to shreds.

Defying the specter’s assault, the corpse suddenly opened its foul-smelling maw and lunged, biting into the specter’s neck!

"Roar—!"

Caught off guard, the specter was struck by the bite, which was infused with corpse poison and the insect's malevolent energy. Its entire ghostly form twisted and flickered violently, like a television screen with a poor signal, and it emitted an even more piercing, agonized howl. The blue light surrounding it dimmed significantly in an instant!

The corpse did not let up. Its withered claws raked fiercely at the specter’s chest, seemingly intent on tearing apart its core resentment!

Just then!

"Splat!"

A soft yet distinct tearing sound echoed through the room!

The clothing on the corpse’s chest was violently burst open. A thumb-sized, translucent insect with a faint red glow at its core had forced its way out of the corpse’s chest, ejecting itself along with a trail of viscous black blood and fragments of internal organs.

It seemed to realize that its vessel was on the verge of total collapse under the specter’s frenzied counterattack and its own limits. It was fleeing! Escaping this uncontrollable battlefield!

Le Dong guessed its intent, and a second later, his eyes widened with surprise.

"Whoosh..."

The tiny black insect traced a bizarre arc through the air, moving so fast it left only a blur, and its target was none other than Steward Ma, who was sprawled on the ground in a state of madness!

Was it trying to return to Steward Ma?

Le Dong’s mind raced. He was now certain that this insect was the source of the nightmare he had been dragged into. Previously, the insect had controlled the corpse to prevent him from reaching it, but now that it had left the body, he was desperate to get his hands on it. Although the object in Ma Wenwen's eyes had made the specters of Mr. and Mrs. Hu disappear, Ma Wenwen’s indecisive nods and shakes earlier had left him uneasy. To end the threat once and for all and protect his wife at home, he ignored whether the insect might be harmful to him; even if it were, he hoped it would control his own corpse rather than involve his family.

With this thought, a powerful surge of potential, born from his desperate longing, flooded Le Dong. He broke through the suppression of the chilling aura and managed to briefly crawl to his feet.

"Old Cai, if you aren't dead, get up and help me!"

Le Dong’s roar erupted from his chest as he lunged toward Steward Ma’s thin, frail frame.

Since the facade had already been shattered, if he couldn't beat the corpse, he could surely handle an old man! Le Dong consoled himself. Just as his body was about to pin Steward Ma down, the latter finally snapped out of his dazed, soul-lost state.

Steward Ma was first shocked to see Le Dong standing, then noticed the insect flying toward him out of the corner of his eye. Confusion filled his gaze, and he instinctively raised the "White Fang" he was clutching tightly to shield himself.

"Bang..."

"Cough, cough..."

Two muffled groans sounded in succession. Veins bulged on Steward Ma’s face as he stared at the elbow knife embedded in his chest; the intense pain nearly caused him to black out.

"Dongzi! Grab the bug!"

Beside the banister, Cai Kun pulled at Steward Ma’s ankle with one hand while shouting at Le Dong, who had also been knocked into a heap.

Enduring the sharp pain in his elbow, Le Dong frantically turned to look and saw the bizarre insect resting on his own hand. Just as Le Dong reached out to grab it, Steward Ma arched his back, throwing Le Dong off.

"None of you will leave here alive!"

Steward Ma shrieked. As he brought the White Fang closer to the insect, the creature struggled a few times before obediently crawling onto it.

Le Dong watched, memorizing the scene. Finding a burst of hidden strength, he lunged at Steward Ma’s waist and bit down hard.

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream shattered the air. Steward Ma’s hand holding the White Fang faltered, giving the insect a moment of respite, and Cai Kun, who had been wriggling his body, finally crawled up, his chubby hand reaching for the insect.

"You dare!"

Steward Ma, enduring the agonizing pain, was about to move when the specter that had been recovering in the living room suddenly hovered before his eyes. The specter had also noticed that it was this insect that had been battling him earlier. A look of confusion flashed in its eyes, but it was quickly replaced by murder, and a ghostly hand reached for the insect even faster than Cai Kun’s...

At this critical, life-or-death moment—

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!!!"

The two deafening roars occurred less than two seconds apart. The instant the final boom echoed, the heavy oak doors of the Hu villa, as if struck by a battering ram, burst inward! Countless wood splinters flew in all directions like cannonballs!

A car with a mangled front end, still skewered by black iron fence poles from the courtyard, plowed into the living room. Two blinding headlights instantly tore through the dim, eerie atmosphere of the room!

At the shattered entrance, two tall figures stood silhouetted against the light, like soldiers descended from the heavens!

The man on the left was thin and gaunt, his hair tied in a small bun, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his lips. The man on the right was short and stocky, a wound visible at the corner of his mouth beneath a thick beard.

"Master Fan! Uncle Zhou!"

Fan Biao cried out in joy. Fearless of the specter nearby, he took advantage of its momentary distraction to flick his chubby hand and snatch the insect from the air.

"Hmph, no wonder the yin energy was so heavy; it was hiding an Yin Wraith!"

Fan Biao’s voice was like a booming bell. With a flip of his hand, he drew a copper coin sword from the vehicle and pointed it directly at the specter of Old Master Hu on the second floor.

At the same time, Zhou Fan’s gaze swept across the chaotic living room: the terrifying traces of the battle between the two "Old Master Hus," the panicked crowd upstairs, the unconscious Boss Hu and Ma Wenwen, and the specter radiating an overwhelming baleful aura.

After Fan Biao shouted those words, Zhou Fan’s eyes sharpened, and the golden talisman he fished from his pocket began to glow brilliantly!

"Are you... also here to steal my gold?"

Old Master Hu seemed not to care about the two newcomers, continuing to mutter that same old phrase.

"Damn it, Old Zhou, the Yin Wraith has taken form. Use the old method!"

Fan Biao didn't waste time answering the specter’s nonsense. After his command, he leaped forward like an arrow released from a bow, stepping over the debris and shattered furniture, and lunged toward the flickering blue light of the specter on the second floor!

The long sword in his hand, strung together from ancient copper coins, emitted a faint, warm red glow in the dim light, as if activated by an invisible force.

"Man and ghost belong to different paths; I’m sending you back to yours!"

The wind whistled as the sword, carrying a searing aura of righteousness, thrust straight at the chest of Old Master Hu’s specter.

The specter, having just recovered slightly from the trauma of being bitten by the corpse insect, felt a primal, massive threat upon being locked onto by this pure-yang artifact. It let out a shrill, ear-splitting roar—no longer the murmurs of obsession, but one filled with pure, violent ferocity.

Facing the incoming copper coin sword, it dared not block. Its illusory form drifted backward sharply, while its pair of ghostly claws expanded, the nails turning jet-black and razor-sharp. Wrapped in biting yin wind, they clawed viciously at Fan Biao’s neck and heart!

"Sizzle—!"

The ghostly claws were blocked by the copper coin sword, erupting with a screeching sound like a red-hot iron plunged into ice water!

"Hiss, hiss..."

A plume of greenish-black smoke rose accompanied by a pungent, acrid stench. The specter’s ghostly claws trembled violently as if burned, and its phantom form flickered in and out of existence again.

Fan Biao felt a bone-chilling, icy counter-force travel up the sword, numbing his arm, but his footing remained as steady as a rock. He retracted and released his sword strikes in a continuous, relentless offensive. The copper coin sword danced in a seamless web, spots of red light raining down like a torrential storm, enveloping the specter.

"Stealing my gold... you all deserve to die..."

The specter, backed into the corner of the corridor, continued to roar, while the few people slumped by the banister felt the yin energy that had imprisoned them slowly dissipating...